Directions: Apply Pressure and Hold
by Waxie
Summary: AU Dr. Jaganshi is a small town doctor living with his sister Yukina. Shiori Minamino, one of Hiei’s patients, is a very sick woman on the brink of death. Her death will cause more destruction than one may think...full summary inside, eventual HxK
1. Chapter 1

Title: Directions: Apply Pressure and Hold  
Author: Waxie  
Rating: PG13; may go up in accordance to my whim  
Pairing: eventual Hiei x Kurama  
Spoilers: none  
Warnings: angst, AU (alternate universe), character death (don't like, don't read), YAOI (don't like, don't read)  
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is not mine; I'm merely borrowing the characters for awhile. I'm planning to return them eventually.  
Summary: AU Dr. Jaganshi is a small town doctor living with his sister Yukina. Shiori Minamino, one of Hiei's patients, is a very sick woman on the brink of death. Her death will cause more destruction than one may think; Hiei is ready to give up his profession and Shuuichi is ready to pick it up, eager to save lives. Can the two find meaning in their chosen professions, accept the good with the bad, and at the same time learn to accept life and cherish it for all it has to offer? Eventual HxK  
Status: 1?  
Author's Notes: Talk about a stubborn plot bunny that refuses to be put down. I figure writing this sucker will give me some peace of mind. This fic is dedicated to nyahhh who pestered me about it enough to give me a permanent eye twitch (and who probably fed this plot bunny behind my back to keep it alive). Oh, and anyone who is still waiting for an NE update, it's coming. I'm currently half way through the fourth chapter. Sorry for the long wait.

02020202

A small town slept peacefully through a heavy snowstorm. The hour was late and no sensible soul was about; the snow had quickly blanketed the ground and left the town half-unearthed, like a stick jutting out of the sand. While no sensible soul was about, there was a desperate one, panicked and running blindly through the streets, tripping and falling with a painful consistency. This young man, shivering from a completely soaked shirt and equally matching trousers – perhaps from all his slips – ran madly, and must have forgotten a coat and lamp in his hurry. The dark night and the thick snow were the devil's agents, of this he was sure; how much time had he wasted running in this maze of a pathetically tiny town? A voice in the back of his mind reasoned that if he were to stop and think for a moment, he might be able to find his way in this snowstorm, but he quickly shoved such thoughts back. Moments of extreme urgency leave no room for intelligent thought, only foolish action. And when one's mother is dying, there is neither time for coat, nor lamp, nor shred of rationality. There is only time (and really, one cannot be too sure about that) to take to one's heels and rush out in search of the doctor.

The young man – he really couldn't be a day over 22 years of age – had been to the doctor's on several occasions, and on this emergency of utmost severity, his subconscious sense of direction should have kicked in. But…_well_.

The boy tripped again on some unseen sidewalk curb and it was with difficulty that he was able to struggle back up. This cycle, falling, getting up from panic and fear, tripping and falling once more, continued until the lady of good fortune mercifully at last threw a look in his direction. Shuuichi tripped – perhaps a rock this time or maybe his legs were simply shaking too wildly to provide any type of stable support – and ran full onto a door, sliding down into a defeated, slumped position in which he, found to his dismay he had not the strength to move, stayed in. He was tired. He was hurt. He was cold. He knew he couldn't possibly be lost, but with the panic and now increasingly freezing temperature sinking past his bones, his already sluggish thoughts were making it so that thinking was beyond his reach—yet, his mother's life depended on his. She was home, _dying_, and he was here, on the verge of _giving up_? That wasn't fair, to either of them. He couldn't fail her, dammit, especially now of all times! He reached up blindly and with frozen fingers found and grasped the metal handle of the locked door. He pulled himself up and rested heavily on the door, taking several breaths to try to pull himself together. It was then that he realized something vaguely familiar of his current location. If he didn't know any better (and by god, he did), he had finally stumbled onto quite literally the doctor's office. Letting out a string of curses that stemmed from absolute relief at having some good luck, he found the will, and therefore the strength, to pound at the door with a renewed sense of purpose. "Dr. Jaganshi!" Shuuichi cried out as much as his poor state would allow. "Dr. Jaganshi!"

02020202

Dr. Jaganshi wrapped his coat tighter around himself and braced for the coming icy wind he knew existed just beyond the door. He had just finished looking over sick triplets – triplets he lamented were sick beyond help and would probably not live to see the end of this week – and gave the distressed mother a curt nod before beginning his thankfully short walk back to his home that he shared with his sister. He briefly wondered if Yukina was awake waiting for him, then promptly decided that knowing her instinctively worrisome nature, she was. With the thought of keeping his sister up (and a mug of hot cocoa he was bound to receive upon his arrival), he picked up his already brisk pace and hurried along.

02020202

Her brother was right; Yukina was up and about regardless the time, waiting to make sure her brother arrived home safe and sound. It was winter in their tiny town and now 'twas the season (more than Christmas and Yuletide treasures) of colds and the flu and battles with the enemies of immunity. Thus, for her brother and for herself, winter was the season of home calls and dying children, frost bite, and the occasional broken bone from a misguided step on the icy floors. It was now well past midnight and nearing the second hour of the day and while she did not want to worry for her older brother (after all he was quite capable of caring for himself), he had been known to be a little careless (which was silly; he _was_ a doctor, after all.). It was in the middle of a small reminiscing coma where Hiei had ignored his busted ankle and continued walking on it – thus making it worse – (what a stubborn brother she had!) a few years back when she was snapped out of her reverie by pounding that fluctuated from loud knocking to diminishing soft, weak knocking back to loud pounding as if it had been injected with renewed vigor. Yukina jumped up from the stool she had been sitting in whilst waiting for the water to boil (she was preparing hot chocolate) and quickly crossed the living room she and her brother had converted into a doctor's office. She threw open the door and yelled in surprise when a young man fell in and collapsed on the floor. The young man's face was pale, his eyes sunken, and his brilliantly red, limp hair stuck to his face and back. "Shuuichi!" Yukina's reaction was impulsive from years of practice and a simple touch confirmed that this boy was chilled to the bone. Dismayed to know she could not carry the boy, she turned him onto his back, then slipped her arms under his armpits and proceeded to drag him further into the doctor's office (or living room if you're much more inclined to call it that) where she miraculously succeeded in lifting him up just long enough to land him on the couch.

"M-mother…" Yukina looked at him in worry before rushing off to find warm blankets to cover the shaking red head in. "Ngh…mother…"

02020202

The door to his house flew open before he even had the chance to fish out his keys. Yukina pulled her brother into the house and closed the door behind him, spilling the events of ten minutes ago in a rapid torrent of words. Hiei had to admit even he could not catch all his sister was saying, but by now he had mastered the art of 'getting the gist of things' and thus he caught all the important words that were suffice. Shuuichi. Here. Not well. Mother. Hiei was well aware of Shuuichi's mother's deteriorating state; the poor woman had been one of his patients for years now. He knew all about her sickness, knew about the Minamino family's low income since the death of the main money maker, Shuuichi's father. He knew the family could not afford his services for two people, but this by no means made him heartless. Hiei made an effort to seem detached, this was his policy, and only few knew the severity of the impact his patients' deaths had on him. Therefore, upon every visit to the Minamino residence, he studied how Shuuichi's health fared. The young man worked two jobs to keep their economic stability afloat, he cared for his mother ceaselessly 24-7, he had thinned terribly, and had virtually permanent bags under his eyes. It was obvious Shuuichi was under immense stress (and he may not be a shrink but he was sure the paranoia of his mother dying, just like his father did, kept him up too many nights to count.). Under such poor state of health, Shuuichi should not have been running through town in a bloody _snowstorm_ without proper measures. However, now was not a time to issue a scolding only a doctor could get away with. Addressing a few words to his sister, he rushed out of the house, headed towards the house with the dying woman. If it hadn't been snowing, he could have at least gotten there faster by means of automobile, but nature doesn't exactly bend to the will of anyone, much less an inconvenienced doctor.

It was days like these that made Dr. Jaganshi regret having chosen his profession. There was too much death he could not prolong, too much sickness he could ever dream of overcoming, and such realities made him feel inapt. Shiori Minamino grew closer to death by the day and it was becoming increasingly harder to deny this truth. _What a horrid day to be a doctor_, Hiei thought bitterly as he dug half his face into his thick scarf and ran as quickly as he could without tripping.

02020202

Author Note: So there's the beginning. Was it any good? I'll try to hurry on the update. Heh.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Directions: Apply Pressure and Hold  
Author: Waxie  
Rating: PG13; may go up in accordance to my whim  
Pairing: eventual Hiei x Kurama  
Spoilers: none  
Warnings: angst, AU (alternate universe), character death (don't like, don't read), YAOI (don't like, don't read)  
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is not mine; I'm merely borrowing the characters for awhile. I'm planning to return them eventually.  
Summary: AU Dr. Jaganshi is a small town doctor living with his sister Yukina. Shiori Minamino, one of Hiei's patients, is a very sick woman on the brink of death. Her death will cause more destruction than one may think; Hiei is ready to give up his profession and Shuuichi is ready to pick it up, eager to save lives. Can the two find meaning in their chosen professions, accept the good with the bad, and at the same time learn to accept life and cherish it for all it has to offer? Eventual HxK  
Status: 2?  
Author's Notes: Wow. Has it really been a year since I last updated? Almost seems a little silly to update now, but what the hell. Apologies to anyone who's waited patiently; they say patience is a virtue and I think you've all waited enough to allow a full process of canonization.

02020202

Yukina sat by the couch keeping sentinel over Shuuichi's precarious state. He'd finally fallen asleep with the help of Yukina's gentle coaxing, but his sleep was anything but sound. The boy ceased to shiver despite the numerous blankets wrapped around his frail frame and the furnace blasting away on full power.

Her brother had been gone now for several hours, and while that was not enough time to worry for his sake, it was more than enough time to worry for Shuuichi's mother. Shiori Minamino had always been a sickly woman and despite Hiei's greatest efforts, he was unable to pinpoint what it was that ailed her and what it was that she needed to heal her. The fact remained that Shiori was dying and there was no preventing it. Tonight, she lamented, was to be that night. There was, of course, no way for Yukina to know this for sure, but if the inescapable foreboding feeling settling in her gut was to be any indication, Shuuichi would be an orphan long before the snowstorm was through.

To say Yukina pitied Shuuichi would be an insult. She did not pity him; rather, she empathized with him. After all, she and her brother had been orphans, too and had gone through the same hardships and pains Shuuichi was now going to have to experience. She looked at him helplessly and could almost see Shuuichi standing on the darkest precipice of his life, about to unwillingly take the plunge. She brushed a stray lock of hair away from his face and decided in that moment that although there was no changing his fate, she could at least soften the blow.

_Hiei and I had each other and you'll have us to help you._

It was a silent promise and Yukina sealed it with a maternal kiss to Shuuichi's forehead. When Shuuichi let out a small, pained moan, she sat back, fixed her shawl that had been slipping off her shoulders and waited for his eyelids to flutter open.

"It's c-cold." Yukina watched Shuuichi struggle to sit up and finally manage to stay upright by leaning his back on the headboard.

"You'll be lucky you don't catch pneumonia, Shuuichi. You should know better." Yukina chastised him, but at the same time stood up and quickly retrieved a mug of hot cocoa. "Here, drink this. It was for my brother, but something tells me you need it more."

Shuuichi accepted the mug and loved the tingling sensation he felt as the heat warmed up his freezing fingers. He ventured two small sips and asked, while he still had the courage to ask, "Do you know if my mother…?" He looked away from the contents of his mug to look at Yukina who, until that moment, had been staring at him.

She averted her gaze.

02020202

(A week later)

"I went to go see Shuuichi yesterday." The kitchen was a mess of bowls and dishes, but Yukina managed to maneuver through it with ease.

Hiei had cleared a small spot on the counter and he now sat slouched with an elbow on the table and his chin resting on his palm. "Oh?"

"Yes, I figured he needed some company," Yukina stood on tip toe and opened a few cabinets, "especially after the funeral. Have you seen the salt?" Hiei pointed to the corner of the counter and Yukina snatched it up, continuing as if Hiei had expressed a genuine concern for the boy. "He's a mess. He's working himself to the ground – not that that's any different from usual – and he's so thin and _pale_, I wouldn't be surprised if he was anemic!" Yukina gesticulated loudly with a large spoon, then stopped and pointed at Hiei with it. "Did, did you know he's moving? He couldn't afford to pay for his mother's funeral _and_ the house. He'll be out on the streets by week's end!" She took a deep breath and paused (for dramatic effect or to gauge a response, Hiei would never know).

"Where's he going?"

Yukina's shoulders slumped. "He doesn't know." She turned back to stirring the pot. "You know, when mom died," Hiei winced, "we were miserable, but at least we had the comfort that we were never alone. We had each other. Shuuichi… he doesn't have anyone." Yukina bit her lip. She knew that now was the time to introduce the idea that had been forming in her mind, but she was afraid that Hiei would not allow it. He'd always detested anything that could interfere with their peaceful home life. Family was important to Hiei and there was neither room nor time for strangers. "Hiei, what if we took him in? He could live in our house, he could work, and then, when he's ready, he could move on." Yukina left the pot and turned to look at her brother, making sure her look was as beseeching as possible.

This seemed to get Hiei's attention. He straightened his posture and seemed to think it over, though the frown on his countenance worried Yukina. After a few moments of silence, Hiei spoke slowly as if he was still trying to sort everything in his mind. "We're not running an orphanage; make sure you tell Shuuichi that. He's going to have to work and pull his own weight."

"Oh, big brother!" Yukina squealed and despite Hiei's protests, she pulled him into a hug.

"Actually, it works out pretty well. He can stay in my room and I know I'd feel much better knowing you wouldn't be alone after I leave." Yukina's hands gripped Hiei's shoulders and he was suddenly jerked back.

"What? After you _leave_? Where are you going? And why?" Yukina demanded. She was generally a sweet and meek girl, but Hiei knew she had an undercurrent streak of assertiveness in her.

Hiei struggled to explain his reasons. Shiori Minamino had been one of his long term patients and although he'd tried to help her, he had ultimately failed her. He was a doctor, but it seemed he was incapable of doing what he had sworn to do. Heal.

"No matter what I do, I can't save people. My patients keep dying. And if I'm not healing them," Hiei licked his chapped lips, "then I must be killing them."

_Doctor, Doctor… please… make it stop… make it stop!_

"Hiei… you're not God! You can't save everyone! You do what you can, which is more than most people in this town are capable of! Their deaths are not your fault, you hear me?"

_Ms. Minamino, just hold on! I _will_ save you. I'll heal you, I'll heal you!_

"I'm a doctor! If I'm not supposed to heal, what am I good for?"

_Hiei… if you want to heal me, let me go. Let me die… Shuuichi will understand…  
_

"Big brother, please stop this. Life is temporary, you know that. You gave Ms. Minamino more years than she would have had if you hadn't done anything at all." Yukina wiped her eyes before any tears had a chance to fall. "Where would you go anyway?"

"The city. Maybe work for the law."

"A law enforcer? But they don't heal, they're notorious for—"

"Killing. I know. I figure that if I'm going to be killing people, I might as well be killing the right ones."

"That's a horrible thing to say." Yukina croaked.

"Only because it's the truth."

02020202

Author's Note: To be continued! Hope this chapter was worth the wait. If not, I'll try harder next time. (Which I hope will be soon. Worse come to worst, see you next year?)


End file.
